The Mustang Messenger

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Good evening, JLS Mustang Families!

We had another fine week of celebration and learning at Simpson as we...

• Acknowledged our terrific Unified Mental Health Team as part of National School Counseling Week - Thank you to all of our students and staff who helped us with special events in honor of Ms. Hyman, Ms. Thomasson, Ms. Jeane, Ms. McCarthy, Ms. Rainey, and Ms. Chisholm!
• Welcomed families of our future Mustangs to our Rising 6th Grade Parent Information / Curriculum Night, a spectacular event facilitated by current students and staff at both JLS and Loudoun County High School
• Engaged our 8th graders with LCHS Captains as they visited to provide information on Winter Sports/Club/Organizational Activities to which our rising 9th graders can look forward as they approach their high school years.

As you also know, our school counselors have been working very closely with our rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders to make important decisions about course selections for the 2024-2025 school year. Please remember to use the helpful resources below to discuss scheduling options with your Mustang(s) at home as the February 29 deadline for ensuring all course requests are in place to build our master schedule is approaching quickly.

• Rising 6th Grade Special Edition Mustang Messenger - Sunday, February 4, 2024
• Rising 7th-8th-9th Grade Special Edition Mustang Messenger - Saturday, February 3, 2024

This coming week we look forward to the following events in addition to others you will find in our Messenger below:

• Club/Organization Photos taking place with our Mustang students and their sponsors throughout the day on Tuesday, February 13 to support the record-keeping of great memories for our yearbook
• Special Education Coffees with our Learning Specialists team both at JLS on Tuesday, February 13 at 9 AM in the library/media center as well as at 7 PM at Douglas Community Center on the same date.
• Our February PTO Meeting at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, February 13 in our library/media center
• Our February Parents as Educational Partners (PEP) Meeting at 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 15 in the cafeteria
• Rising 6th Grade Instrument Mouthpiece Assessment / Strings Test Drives on Thursday, February 15 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM
• All District Chorus members from JL Simpson MS participating in their event at Rock Ridge HS starting on Friday, February 16

In other words....it's going to be a busy week again with great events on the horizon that can engage our Mustangs and you as their family members!

Finally, you hopefully received our Special Edition Mustang Messenger: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Fundraiser focused on beautifying our school with new murals and hallway art, installing a digital sign in front of our school, and purchasing school supplies for our Mustangs for the forthcoming school year. I must admit I may have ordered some chocolate iced doughnuts for my own family.... and all for a superb cause! ;-) Be sure to keep your eyes open for some cool changes to the front of our school over the course of the next few weeks as well....they're on the way!

February 14-17 is Virginia Kindness Week, so in the spirit of the celebration, let's all keep in mind about how easy it truly is to be courteous and caring to one another each and every day. This is a reminder that I mention daily on our Good morning, Mustang! announcements...and it is something by which we can all live with a positive mindset each and every day to do our best!

It was awesome seeing so many of you this past week...and we look forward to welcoming you again soon at the schoolhouse. You are always invited! Enjoy the great week ahead!

Dr. Frank G. "Tripp" Di Nicola, III

Principal

JL Simpson Middle School

February 12-16 - Happening All Week:

• WIDA ACCESS Testing Continues

Monday, February 12 - A Day

• After School Clubs/Events: 3:30 PM - 4:40 PM
• 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Mary Poppins, Jr. Rehearsal - Auditorium
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Jazz Band Rehearsal - Ms. Paquette - Band Room
  
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: District Chorus Rehearsal - Ms. Hoey-Johnson - Choir Room

Tuesday, February 13 - B Day

• Club Photos for the Yearbook - Announcements will be made
• 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Special Education Parent Coffee - Ms. Miller - Library/Media Center
• After School Clubs/Events: 3:30 PM - 4:40 PM
• 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: PTO Meeting - Ms. Herrin - Library/Media Center
  
• 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Special Education Parent Coffee - Ms. Miller - Douglas Community Center in Leesburg

Wednesday, February 14 - A Day - Happy Valentine's Day!

• After School Clubs/Events: 3:30 PM - 4:40 PM
  
• Opportunity Time - M6
• 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Mary Poppins, Jr. Rehearsal - Ms. Hoey-Johnson - Auditorium
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Ms. O’Hara - Auxiliary Gym
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Weightlifting Club - Mr. Dunbar - Weight Room

Thursday, February 15 - B Day

• After School Clubs/Events: 3:30 PM - 4:40 PM
• Opportunity Time - M6
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Select Choir Rehearsal - Ms. Hoey-Johnson - Choir Room
• 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Running Club - Mr. Peyton - Main Office Vestibule
• 5:30 PM -7:30 PM: Rising 6th Grade Mouthpiece/Rhythm Assessment - Ms. Paquette - Band Room
• 5:30 PM -7:30 PM: Rising 6th Grade Strings Test-Drive - Ms. Kanakry - Orchestra Room
• 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Parents as Educational Partners (PEP) Meeting - Cafeteria - Ms. Hailey / Mr. Washburn

Friday, February 16 - A Day

• After School Clubs/Events: 3:30 PM - 4:40 PM

• 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Mary Poppins, Jr. Rehearsal - Ms. Hoey-Johnson - Auditorium

• 5:30 PM: Girls Varsity Basketball Game @Smart's Mill MS

*Monday, February 19 - No School - President's Day*

We are pleased to share our new JLS Grade-Level Academic Weekly Update Newsletter!

Each week our amazing Simpson faculty will share topics covered in class, questions for you to ask at home, and upcoming assessments. We hope you will find this to be a useful tool to discuss what is happening at school with your student(s)!

Click here --> JLSMS Grade Level Academic Weekly Update - February 12-16, 2024

HOW CAN I ACCESS THE JLS GRADE-LEVEL ACADEMIC WEEKLY UPDATE NEWSLETTER in MULTIPLE LANGUAGES?

To Translate A Document to a Preferred Language Other Than English:

1. Click on the grade-level newsletter you wish to review.

2. In the top menu, click Tools and then Translate document.

3. Enter a name for the translated document and select a language.

4. Click Translate.

A translated copy of your document will open in a new window. You can also see this copy in your Google Drive.

Congratulations to all the Mustangs who achieved Honor Roll for the second quarter of the 2023-2024 school year!

Please find the complete lists below. Be sure to scroll all the way through as each list begins with All A Honor Roll followed by A/B Honor Roll.

If your Mustang achieved honor roll this quarter, you will receive an invitation to our Honor Roll Celebration to be held on the following days:

February 21 for 8th grade - 8:30 AM - 9:10 AM

February 22 for 7th grade - 8:30 AM - 9:10 AM

February 23 for 6th grade - 8:30 AM - 9:10 AM

6th Grade Honor Roll

7th Grade Honor Roll

8th Grade Honor Roll

The Loiselle-Fawcett Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society at J.L. Simpson Middle School is excited to invite academically eligible (3.5 or higher GPA) 7th and 8th grade students to submit a candidate information packet.

If your student is eligible for candidacy they will receive an email with the candidate packet before the end of February 2024. (NOTE: This is a change to last week's Mustang Messenger as we work with our school division to appropriately calculate the cumulative GPA at the middle school level.)

National Junior Honor Society members shall exemplify and maintain the five pillars of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Membership in NJHS does not guarantee membership in NHS during their high school years. All candidate packets will have to be submitted to the committee by a forthcoming due date to be announced within the e-mail for candidates for consideration.

The school is looking for several parents to help on Tuesday February 13th during Clubs and Activity Picture Day. Parents will help line students up by height and help move the groups in and out efficiently.

Please sign up here if you can help.

Mark your calendar for our next Spirit Night at Wendy's on Tuesday February 20th all day until 11:30pm!

Don't forget to mention Simpson PTO so we get 20% of proceeds! :)

While the start of the 2024/25 school year is still several months away, it is important that you begin to schedule vaccinations for your student now. All 7th-grade students are required, per Virginia Code 32.1-46, to have the following vaccinations and to show proof of vaccination to the student’s school:

Required Vaccinations for ALL 7th-grade Students:

● One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) given at age 7 or older.

● One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 10 or older. (Please Note: MenB, Bexsero, and Trumenba vaccines are not the same as MenACWY and will not be accepted in place of MenACWY. Please confirm with your medical provider that the appropriate vaccination is administered.)

Encouraged Vaccination:

● Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. While the first dose of this two-dose vaccine must be administered before an adolescent’s 15th birthday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the first dose be administered at the age of 11 or 12. This vaccine is at the discretion of the parents or guardian but is recommended. LCPS does not require opt-out documentation for the HPV vaccine. The first day of school for the 2024/25 school year is August 22, 2024. Students without the appropriate documentation will not be able to start school on the first day of school. Don’t wait until August! Vaccinate your student early and provide your student’s school with the appropriate proof of vaccination anytime prior to the first day.

Acceptable documentation includes one of the following:

● A copy of your student's immunization record, signed/stamped by the provider, showing the date the immunization was given.

● A signed note from a healthcare provider on the provider’s letterhead stating the date the immunization was given.

● A healthcare provider’s signed statement of a permanent or temporary medical exemption for a student who cannot receive the immunization due to medical reasons.

● A notarized Religious Exemption Form, which is available on the LCPS website.

Please ask your private healthcare provider, the Loudoun County Health Department, or your school nurse to review your student's immunization record to ensure that they have received the required vaccines. Vaccines are available from the Loudoun County Health Department, Leesburg Clinic, pharmacies, urgent care providers, or your child’s pediatrician. You will need to submit a copy of your student’s immunization record to the Health Department to schedule an appointment. The Loudoun County Health Department offers Tdap, HPV, and MenACWY vaccines at no cost to families.

If you have questions about these requirements, please contact the nurse at your student’s school. Additional information can be found on the Student Health Services webpage.

Simpson School Nurse: Rene.Pettit@lcps.org

For more information, please visit the Loudoun County Health and Human Services.

We wanted to let you know that our Simpson Boys Varsity team finished 10-0 during the regular season. We embark on playoffs in a few weeks time. The Simpson Varsity Girls and JV Boys are also faring exceptionally well too.

We wanted to share our most important "win" of the season so far - a service event at the Loudoun County Homeless Services Center last night where Simpson boys prepared and served a meal to community members in need. As coaches, we were impressed by their sincerity, helpfulness, and engagement. Our best "we" experience so far. We have had a season motif of "Energy Giving Behaviors" or "EGBs" - and there were plenty to go around last night!

We wanted to share this with the school as it dovetails with your HERD initiative (HONORABLE / ENGAGED / RESPECTFUL / DETERMINED). Thought you may want to highlight in some way.

Coach Geoff Wikel (Reid Wikel) and Coach Earl Piner (Brycen Piner)

Our Simpson Yearbook staff is seeking photos of Mustangs outside of the school house!

Please consider sharing your photos of anything that your Mustangs do in relation to volunteering, sports, clubs, pets, favorite Leesburg activities, attending LCHS games, or neighborhood / family events.

Go to HJeshare.com and use code 13625 to submit your pictures!

Thank you for your support!

Be a part of the conversation happening across the state!

Starting on January 15, we will be participating in the Virginia Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning.

The national Speak Up is the first survey designed to help families share their ideas directly with schools and national policymakers. Speak Up provides parents and guardians with a mechanism for expressing their views to the administrators at their child(ren)’s school and district about key issues impacting their child(ren)’s education.

Since 2003, Speak Up has collected and shared the views of more than 5.4 million students, teachers, and parents/guardians from across the country. By participating in the Virginia Speak Up, you are expressing your views to a wider audience of local, state, and national policy makers —and contributing to the national dialogue about how best to prepare students for the future. The online survey is open to students, educators, and parents/guardians; it’s quick and easy to get involved. All participation is 100% confidential. Surveys take about 20 minutes to complete. To take the survey, visit this link.

To preview any of the surveys (students, teachers, administrator) visit https://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/vaspeakup/

We appreciate you taking the time to share your views with us! We need your input!

HRTD is excited to launch SHINE! Spotlighting Heroes in Education, a new recognition program that aims to tell the stories of the incredible work happening throughout the division. We encourage schools to promote SHINE both inside their buildings between peers as well as with their school communities through newsletters, websites and social media as all parents, students, staff and community members are welcome to submit a nomination. Each month, Loudoun Education Foundation will choose one submission to provide additional acknowledgement and a special gift.

How it works:

1. We are seeking submissions for LCPS staff members at schools, central office and support locations who:

1. Have gone above and beyond in a situation

2. Have inspired others or have a heartwarming story

3. Are doing something unique or creative that is leading to results

4. In general, ANY great news!

2. Complete the submission form (It’s short and easy!)

3. The Employee Recognition office notifies the nominee as well as their supervisor of the submission

4. The story may be placed on the Employee Recognition webpage.

We are honored to announce that Ms. Victoria Curtis-Meyding, Mr. Derrick Jackson, and Ms. Alesha Whitmore have already been recognized by families in our community! You can find their stories on the SHINE webpage under Inspirational Stories.

Our goal is to place a spotlight on the hundreds of positive interactions taking place in LCPS each day...and especially at JLS! We look forward to seeing your celebrations of our JLS Mustang Professionals throughout 2023-2024!

Make Up/Retake School Pictures are now viewable online. 😀

Please visit: vosphoto.com/uc

Use your student ID when prompted for the online code.

For questions regarding school pictures please email: underclass@vosphoto.com

Orders can be placed at yearbookordercenter.com

Be sure to use our school code 13625

Loudoun County Public Schools is offering new resources for all staff and parents/guardians to use to support students through www.parental guidance.org. You can learn more about this initiative by clicking here.

These resources include easily accessible video-based courses on difficult parenting topics, individualized parent coaching for any LCPS parent/guardian, on their schedule in their home, and weekly interactive webinars to let parents know the mental health needs of our students are a critical concern of Loudoun County Public Schools. Your unified mental health team members are ready to assist parents in accessing the support. You can watch this video about the services available.

Slide deck with additional information: Coaching CCHC LCPS 2024.pptx

VDOE has created a new Parent Report for the Virginia Growth Assessments that were administered in reading and math to students in grades 3-8 in December. This report includes comparison data from fall to winter and resources to help parents support their student’s learning.

A sample report is included below. A spring Parent Report is also expected and will contain the student’s scores from the fall and winter Growth Assessments, along with the Spring SOL scores.

Content offices have been informed of this new report and are available to assist. It is anticipated that the Parent Reports will be posted to ParentVUE / TeacherVUE during the week of January 23-26, 2024. This report will be available to parents in addition to the ‘standard’ SDBQ reports, which have already been uploaded. Please reach out to the Office of Assessment with questions.

Reference: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/VADOE/bulletins/3831ebb#performance

The Division of English Learners, Family and Community Engagement (DEL FACE) Office invites new international families to our virtual Welcome to LCPS Family Workshop.

This virtual informative session will include information about LCPS and the U.S School system. A toolkit to support student's transition to LCPS will be shared.

• Thursday, February 1st 2024 - 6:30pm-7:30pm
• Thursday, March 7th 2024 - 6:30pm-7:30pm

Sessions will be available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari:

Welcome to LCPS Flyer - English

Welcome to LCPS Flyer - Spanish

Welcome to LCPS Flyer - Arabic

Welcome to LCPS Flyer- Dari/Farsi

Families can register by completing this Google Form.

Contact Sarah.Ocampo@lcps.org, DEL FACE Coordinator, with any questions.

This update has been shared with EL Leads, EL teachers, and Family Liaisons and can be found on the Division of EL Landing Page, information pertaining to this update can be found on the Division of EL website.

The Town of Leesburg invites local 7th and 8th grade students to enter the Virginia Municipal League’s (VML) “If I Were Mayor” essay contest.

Students are asked to identify a problem within their community, gather feedback from community members, and offer a proposed solution, which must be presented in a typed essay between 300 and 500 words.

Students must live in the Town of Leesburg, which is considered a VML member locality. All entries must be received by end of day on Monday, March 18. Visit https://www.vml.org/Opportunities/Essay-Contest for full details.

Regional winners selected from around the state will each receive a $150 gift card and a plaque. One statewide winner chosen from the regional winners will receive a $250 gift card and a plaque. The runner-up from the region that receives the statewide award will become that region’s winner.

“This is a great opportunity for our local 7th and 8th grade students to imagine themselves as mayor, identify an issue, and problem solve for their community,” said Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk. “I can't wait to read the great ideas that will come from the essays. If there is a really good idea maybe we can work together.”

Winning essays will be featured in the May issue of VML’s magazine Virginia Town & City.

We are excited to once again host the Leesburg teams in the Loudoun Middle School program for the Spring 2024 season!

LGSL manages the following middle schools: Harper Park, J.L. Simpson, and Smart's Mill.

The Middle School Softball Program provides the opportunity to represent their schools, enhance school spirit, develop camaraderie, encourage teamwork, and further develop their softball skills while developing relationships.

All players (grades 6-8) may register to tryout, but they must also be enrolled in a House or Travel league.

Players interested in trying out please register here- https://leesburggirlssoftball.sportngin.com/.../171216706

Are you trying to figure out how to stay involved during those middle school years?

There are small and big ways that really make an impact on our AMAZING school! Please reach out to Natalie Sutter nsutter@gmail.com or Sara Conner sbc070178@gmail.com if you are interested in helping with our PTO activities in any way. You can also sign up to help by clicking here!

The PTO has many things planned for our staff and students! Check out our Volunteer Signup! A board member will reach out with more details!

• FREE Grade Level Events for each grade
• Monty's Cafe (Coming back for a 3rd year)
• Family Bingo Night w/ Silent Auction and Concessions
• Enhance our social media platforms
• Lots of Appreciation Days / Weeks for Staff
• Joint 5K with other middle schools

Click here for the Official J.L. Simpson MS PTO Webpage.

We look forward to engaging all of our Mustang families in PTO in service and support of all of our children!

Be sure to check here often as we will continue to add dates and events as they become available.

February 13 - Club Photo Day / Special Education Parent Coffee 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM

February 14-17: Virginia Kindness Week

February 15 - PEP Meeting - 5:30pm - Cafeteria / Strings Instrument Test Drive - 5:30 PM

February 19 - No School - Holiday - Presidents' Day

February 20 - PTO Spirit Night @Wendy's ALL DAY

February 21 - Monty's Cafe Open at 8am at school main entrance / 8th Grade Honor Roll Celebration 8:30 AM

February 22 - 7th Grade Honor Roll Celebration - 8:30 AM

February 23 - 6th Grade Honor Roll Celebration - 8:30 AM

March 5 - No School - Student Holiday

March 14 - PEP Meeting - 5:30pm - Cafeteria

March 20 - Monty's Cafe Open at 8am at school main entrance

March 25 - 29 - No School - Spring Break

April 4 - End of Third Grading Period

April 5 - No School - Student Holiday

April 10 - No School - Holiday - Eid al Fitr

April 17 - Monty's Cafe Open at 8am at school main entrance

April 18 - PEP Meeting

May 15 - Monty's Cafe Open at 8am at school main entrance

May 27 - No School - Holiday - Memorial Day

June 5 - Monty's Cafe Open at 8am at school main entrance

June 14 - Last Day of School/End of Fourth Grading Period

Email: Tripp.DiNicola@lcps.org

Website: https://www.lcps.org/jlsms
Location: J. Lupton Simpson Middle School, Evergreen Mills Rd, Leesburg, VA, USA
Phone: 5712522840

Instagram: @jlsimpsonms_official_ jl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLSimpsonMS2020/
X: @JLSMS_Official